[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 83 (Thursday, June 4, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D645-D648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
CFTC v. ZELENER CASE
Committee on Agriculture: Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and 
Risk Management held a hearing to review implications of the CFTC v. 
Zelener case. Testimony was heard from Stephen J. Obie, Acting 
Director, Division on Enforcement, CFTC; and public witnesses.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies approved for full Committee action the 
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 
Fiscal Year 2010.
TRANSPORTATION, HUD, RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, and 
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing on 
the Secretary of Transportation. Testimony was heard from Ray LaHood, 
Secretary of Transportation.
PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION SCHOOLS
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations, hearing on Thinkers and Practitioners: Do Senior 
Professional Military Education Schools Produce Strategists? Testimony 
was heard from the following officials of the Department of Defense: 
RADM Garry E. Hall, USN, Commandant The Industrial College of the Armed 
Forces; MG Robert P. Steel, USAF, Commandant, The National War College; 
RADM James P. Wisecup, USN, President, The National War College; MG 
Robert M. Williams, USA, Commandant, The Army War College; MG Maurice 
Forsyth, USAF, Commander, Spaatz Center and Commandant, The Air War 
College, and COL. Michael Belcher, USMC, Director, The Marine Corps War 
College.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND BUDGET
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Terrorism Unconventional 
Threats and Capabilities held a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2010 
National Authorization Budget Request for the U.S. Special Operations 
Command. Testimony was heard from ADM Eric T. Olson, USN, Commander, 
U.S. Special Operations Command, Department of Defense.

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CHARTER SCHOOLS
Committee on Education and Labor: Held a hearing on Building on What 
Works at Charter Schools. Testimony was heard from Jim Shelton, 
Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Innovation and Improvement, 
Department of Education; Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien, State of Colorado; 
and public witnesses.
OVERSIGHT--INTERNET DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Communications, 
Technology and the Internet held a hearing on oversight of the Internet 
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Testimony was heard 
from Fiona Alexander, Associate Administrator, Office of International 
Affairs, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Department of Commerce; Paul Twomey, President and CEO, ICANN; and 
other public witnesses.
COMMERCIAL MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES SALES
Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Commercial Sales of Military 
Technologies.'' Testimony was heard from the following officials of 
GAO: Gregory Kutz, Managing Director, Forensic Audits and Special 
Investigations; and Anne-Marie Lasowski, Director, Acquisition and 
Sourcing Management; the following officials of the Department of 
Commerce: Matthew Borman, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
Industry and Security; and Thomas Madigan, Director, Office of Export 
Enforcement, Bureau of Industry and Security; and public witnesses.
SECTION 8 VOUCHER FUNDING AND ADMINISTRATION
Committee on Financial Services: Subcommittee on Housing and Community 
Opportunity held a hearing entitled ``The Section 8 Voucher Reform 
Act.'' Testimony was heard from public witnesses.
LOCAL/REGIONAL FOOD AID PURCHASES
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health 
held a hearing on Local and Regional Purchases: Opportunities to 
Enhance U.S. Food Aid. Testimony was heard from Thomas Melito, 
Director, International Affairs and Trade Team GAO; Jon C. Brause, 
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and 
Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development, 
Department of State; Bud Philbrook, Deputy Under Secretary, Farm and 
Foreign Agricultural Services, USDA; Jean McKeever, Associate 
Administrator, Business and Workforce Development, Office of Cargo 
Preference Program, Maritime Administration, Department of 
Transportation; and a public witness.
AGENT ORANGE IMPACT IN VIETNAM
Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and 
Global Environment held a hearing on Agent Orange: What Efforts Are 
Being Made To Address The Continuing Impact of Dioxin in Vietnam? 
Testimony was heard from Scot Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary and 
Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 
Department of State; and public witnesses.
HOMELAND SECURITY MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION BUDGET
Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Management, 
Investigations, and Oversight held a hearing entitled ``The FY 2010 
Budget for Departmental Management and Operations at DHS.'' Testimony 
was heard from Elaine C. Duke, Under Secretary, Department of Homeland 
Security.
SUNSHINE IN LITIGATION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Commercial and 
Administrative Law held a hearing on H.R. 1508, Sunshine in Litigation 
Act of 2009. Testimony was heard from Judge Mark R. Kravitz, U.S. 
District Court for the District of Columbia, on behalf of the Committee 
on Rules of Practice and Procedure and the Advisory Committee on Civil 
Rules of the Judicial Conference of the United States; and public 
witnesses.
STATE SECRET PROTECTION ACT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil 
Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on H.R. 984, State Secret 
Protection Act of 2009. Testimony was heard from Patricia M. Wald, 
retired Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of 
Columbia; and public witnesses.
INDIGENT REPRESENTATION
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and 
Homeland Security held a hearing on Indigent Representation: A Growing 
National Crisis. Testimony was heard from Rhoda Billings, former 
Justice and Chief Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court; and public 
witnesses.
UNCONVENTIONAL FUELS/SHALE GAS
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral 
Resources held an oversight hearing entitled ``Unconventional Fuels, 
Part I: Shale Gas Potential.'' Testimony was heard from Douglas Duncan, 
Associate Coordinator, Energy Resources Program, U.S. Geological 
Survey, Department of the

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Interior; Albert F. Appleton, former Director, Water and Sewer System, 
New York City; and public witnesses.
WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME IN BATS
Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 
and Public Lands and the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and 
Wildlife held a joint oversight hearing on White-nose Syndrome: What's 
Killing Bats in the Northeast. Testimony was heard from Marvin 
Moriarty, Northeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Department of the Interior; Joe Holtrop, Deputy Chief, National Forest 
System, USDA; Scott Darling, Wildlife Biologist, Department of Fish and 
Wildlife, State of Vermont; and public witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Ordered reported the 
following measures: H.R. 2646, as amended, Government Accountability 
Office Improvement Act of 2009; H.R. 1345, District of Columbia Hatch 
Act Reform Act of 2009; H.R. 2392, amended, Government Information 
Transparency Act; H. Res. 420, Celebrating the symbol of the United 
States Flag and supporting the goals and ideals of Flag Day; H. Res. 
435, amended, Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; H.R. 
2325, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 1300 Matamoros Street in Laredo, Texas, as the ``Laredo 
Veterans Post Office;'' H.R. 2422, amended, To designate the facility 
of the United States Postal Service located at 702 East University 
Avenue in Georgetown, Texas, as the ``Lyle G. West Post Office 
Building;'' and H.R. 2470, To designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 19190 Cochran Boulevard FRNT in Port 
Charlotte, Florida, as the ``Lieutenant Commander Roy H. Boehm Post 
Office Building.''
FEDERAL OIL SPILL RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
Committee on Science and Technology: Subcommittee on Energy and 
Environment held a hearing on a New Direction for Federal Oil Spill 
Research and Development. Testimony was heard from Doug Helton, 
Incident Operations Coordinator, Office of Response and Restoration, 
NOAA, Department of Commerce; Albert D. Venosa, Director, Land 
Remediation and Pollution Control Division, National Risk Management 
Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, EPA; RADM 
James Watson, USCG, Director, Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, 
Security and Stewardship, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland 
Security; and Stephen Edinger, Director, Office of Spill Prevention and 
Response, Department of Fish and Game, State of California.
INNOVATION RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS
Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology 
held a hearing entitled ``Legislative Initiatives to Strengthen and 
Modernize the SBIR and STTR programs.'' Testimony was heard from public 
witnesses.
MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Ordered reported the 
following measures: H.R. 2093, amended, Clean Coastal Environment and 
Public Health Act of 2009; H.R. 2650, Maritime Safety Act of 2009; H.R. 
2651, Maritime Workforce Development Act; H.R. 2652, amended, Coast 
Guard Modernization Act; H.R. 1687, amended, To designate the Federal 
building and United States Courthouse located at McKinley Avenue and 
Third Street, S.W., Canton, Ohio, as the ``Ralph Regula Federal Office 
Building and United States Courthouse;'' H.R. 2053, To designate the 
United States courthouse located at 525 Magoffin Avenue in El Paso, 
Texas, as the ``Albert Armendariz, Sr., United States Courthouse;'' 
H.R. 2498, To designate the Federal building located at 844 North Rush 
Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the ``William O. Lipinski Federal 
Building;'' H. Res. 410, Recognizing the numerous contributions of the 
recreational boating community and the boating industry to the 
continuing prosperity and affluence of the United States; H. Res. 472, 
Congratulating and saluting the seventieth anniversary of the Aircraft 
Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and their dedication to general 
aviation, safety and the important contribution general aviation 
provides to the United States; H. Res. 484, Expressing support for 
designation of June 10th as the ``National Pipeline Safety Day;'' and 
General Services Administration Building Resolutions.
VETERANS' MEASURES
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
approved for full Committee action the following bills: H.R. 1037, 
amended, Pilot College Work Study Programs for Veterans Act of 2009; 
H.R. 1098, amended, Veterans' Worker Retaining Act of 2009; H.R. 1172, 
amended, To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include on the 
Internet website of the Department of Veterans affairs a list of 
organizations that provide scholarships to veterans and their 
survivors; H.R. 1821, amended, Equity for Injured Veterans Act of 2009; 
and H.R. 2180, To amend title 38, United States Code, to waive housing 
loan fees for certain veterans with service-connected disabilities 
called to active service.

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WOMEN VETERANS HEALTH CARE; VETERANS FAMILY CAREGIVER NEEDS
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Health approved for 
full Committee action, as amended, H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health 
Care Improvement Act.
  The Subcommittee also held a hearing on Meeting the Needs of Family 
Caregivers of Veterans. Testimony was heard from Madhulika Agarwal, 
Chief Patient Care Services Officer, Veterans Health Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Edwin L. Walker, Acting Assistant 
Secretary, Aging, Administration on Aging, Department of Health and 
Human Services; Noel Koch, Deputy Under Secretary, Office of Transition 
Policy and Care Coordination, Department of Defense; representatives of 
veterans organizations; and public witnesses.
IRS OPERATIONS/BUDGET
Committee on Ways and Means: Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing 
on IRS operations, the fiscal year 2010 budget proposals, and the 2009 
tax return filing season. Testimony was heard from Douglas Shulman, 
Commissioner, IRS, Department of the Treasury.
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS
  Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Met in executive 
session to receive a briefing on Intelligence Matters. The Committee 
was briefed by departmental witnesses.
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS
  Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations met in executive session to hold a 
hearing on Intelligence Matters. Testimony was heard from 
departmental witnesses.

Joint Meetings
  No joint committee meetings were held.